Destabilized Pakistan: President Zardari should step down!

-Col  DR. ABDUL RUFF

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Fate of Islamabad is perhaps the crudest among all NATO occupied Muslim nations. A nation under Gen Musharraf went all the way to promote US imperialism in neighboring Afghanistan itself got destabilized. The "democratic leadership after General just continued with Musharraf's line of executing American schemes.  

Pakistan is now an almost completely destabilized nation where only a few, using polls as tool to control the  resources, enjoy life. General elections for Pakistan are due by early next year. President Zardari is keen to continue in the post till the polls and also come back after the poll. 

Pakistan has been without a government since Yousuf Raza Gilani was removed from office last week. The move was part of a long-running and bitter feud between the government and the Supreme Court. It was Gilani's refusal to do so that led to his convictions for contempt in April and his disqualification from public office two months later. Gilani argued the president had immunity from prosecution. 

The charges against President Zardari date back to the 1990s when his late wife Benazir Bhutto was prime minister. They were accused of using Swiss bank accounts to launder bribe money. President Zardari has always insisted the charges against him are politically motivated and never wanted any serious probe.

By tactfully  controlling the Pakistani leaders, USA has converted Islamabad a safe sanctuary for the NATO terror gangs. The US raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound and a NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers were identified as turning points. Rising obstruction of US envoys by officials in Pakistan is "significantly impairing" the work of US personnel there. Recent months have seen a marked deterioration of US-Pakistan relations. Pakistan withdrew military co-operation in the wake of the deadly November air strike, and correspondents say it marked a change in relations between the two countries.

Events of the past year have rocked the US-Pakistani relationship and fundamentally altered the assumptions on which US engagement with Pakistan has been based since 2009. Zardari and Gilani have been under intense pressure from Washington to give the green light for the resumption of NATO supplies through Pakistani soil.

The government has continued to give its tacit support to US military drone strikes against alleged terrorists in areas bordering Afghanistan. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in these attacks, provoking bitter resentment throughout the country. Gilani only shut down the US and NATO supply routes through Pakistan to Afghanistan after a US attack killed several members of a Pakistani border patrol last November.

Earlier this month, US military terror Secretary Leon Panetta threatened to launch US ground operations inside Pakistan if the Pakistani military refused to reopen the  US terror routes. USA says Pakistani regime and military do not “cooperate” with NATO terrorists in “doing more”, that is killing Muslims. Events of 2011 have had such an impact on relations between Washington and Islamabad that US diplomats in Pakistan are struggling to do their jobs.

Americans are unhappy about Pakistani objections to NATo murders in Pakistan and say official Pakistani obstructionism and harassment, an endemic problem in Pakistan, has increased to the point where it is significantly impairing mission operations and program implementation. Washington described the harassment as "deliberate, willful and systematic" and said examples of the obstruction included delays in getting visas, holding up shipments for construction projects and aid programs, and surveillance of employees.

The standoff with the US has only compounded the country’s political crisis. Any move by the government to reopen the supply routes would almost certainly trigger opposition protests. Well aware of the fragile situation, Washington responded cautiously to Gilani’s removal. 

USA has at long last criticized Pakistani government incompetence and its inability to detect or defend against a NATO military intervention. The problem of NATO authoritarianism had become much worse and Pakistani military even recommended that the US dictatorial issue should be taken up at the highest levels of government. Pentagon says patience with Pakistan is wearing thin in Washington.The US feels Pakistan should be more “pro-active” in combating “militants”, but it must balance its frustration with the need to keep a military ally.

ISSUE

An Islamic Pakistan should have selfless leaders to establish a truly Islamic society. Unfortunately, Pakistan has not produced any sincere honest leaders so far but the nation mandated to establish a truly Islamic nation has generated only corrupt leaders with criminal records.  Thus the regime after regime has  been controlled by financial mafias who make the  rulers and leaders richer year  by year. Most of current leaders are extra  corrupt and still eager, by using the NATO invasion,  to loot  nations resources. They are international frauds and worse than street pickpockets. 

President Zardari and the PPP government are deeply unpopular as a result of their support for the US-led occupation of Afghanistan as well as Pakistan and the country’s worsening economic and social crisis.  NATO attack on Pakistanis has worsened the situation. Obama’s drone terrorism have  made Pakistanis completely anti-American and they want the regime to end the NATO illegal presence on their soil. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest against widespread power shortages. Some areas of the country are without electricity for up to 18 hours a day.

Pakistan Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry issued an order directing the country’s Election Commission to formally disqualify Gilani from continuing as prime minister. The order was carried out within hours and cabinet met to relieve Gilani from his premiership. Following the court orders, Zardari canceled a visit to Russia and called an emergency meeting of party leaders of the coalition government, which decided to abide by the court decision. The matter is more serious than the rulers make the world believe.

Former Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is now prime minister after a vote in parliament later on Friday. Ashraf emerged as the likely next PM after high drama which saw a judge issue a warrant for Shahabuddin's arrest as he was filing his nomination papers. First-choice candidate Makhdoom Shahabuddin is wanted over illegal drug imports while he was health minister. Pakistan's ruling party has replaced its nominee for prime minister after a judge ordered the arrest of President Asif Ali Zardari's preferred candidate. But even Ashraf as prime minister is likely to face the same Supreme Court demand as Gilani for the launch of a corruption inquiry into  Zardari. As with many politicians in Pakistan, the PPP's new choice to lead the government into elections also faces controversy. Ashraf has been dogged by allegations of corruption relating to power projects when he was water and power minister. He just denies the charges.  Pakistani corruption chain continues to haunt the nation and regime.

Observation

When leaders misbehave with people, loot their resources, kill them, the regime loses its legitimacy even if it is elected.  A destabilized Pakistan cannot protect its people. 

Pakistan today is the story of rampant corruption and misgovernance. Muslim League leader Shareef also was jailed for his corrupt practices and conspiracy. President Zardari, before  assuming presidency following polls during the last phase of Gen Musharraf reign, had served prison term for many years as punishment for  his corruption operations.

Muslim rulers are expected to govern the nations with prudence and commitment to people's causes. They should show to the world that power is meant to serve the people and not to loot the nation. They would not stay in power just for fun or for protection of their self interests.   

India is proud of its corrupt leaders though corruption is not legalized in India either. Pakistani leaders have a prime job at hand to establish a truly Islamic society and should not compare their corruption with that of India and say they are much better than extra corrupt Indian leaders. Pakistani leaders should not look to India or USA for guidance in Islamic values, ether. Nor should they look for advice from global anti-Islamic media. They  have to  chart their own Islamic agenda. 

President Zardari is bent upon staying  as president and does not want any probe on  his Swiss or any other matter that would upset his apple cart once for all. For this, he is willing to keep replacing the premier as and when the supreme court direct  them to write to Swiss bank about Zardari issue. The ruling PPP would stand by Zardari decisions and would protect his family interests as much as their own. 

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Pakistan is already destabilized by all possible forces, mainly by the corrupt leaderships and US terror gangs.

Zardari, the ruling People's party and Muslm league must take responsibility for the present state of affairs in Paksitan which now looks beyond redemption. 

The need of the hour is safety, security and stablity of Pakistan. The best option before Zardari, under the present circumstances, is he must step down as president and face probe. Musharraf should be brought back for interrogation. 

Zardari has already enjoy his life as president and now should have at least some sympathy for ill-fated Pakistan and its besieged  people! 

Dictatorial Americans can continue to dictate to Pakistan but Pakistanis must ask the foreign occupation forces to leave Pakistani soil. Save Pakistan before it is too late!